Guard for carding mechanisms of knitting machines



Jan. 3, 1967 A J, BEUCUS ETAL 3,295,337

GUARD FOR CARDING MECHANISMS OF KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 22, 1965 United States Patent O 3,295,337 GUARD FOR CARDING MECHANISMS F KNITTING MACHINES Abraham J. Beucus, Delavan, Wis., and Patrick J. Forde, Kitchener, ntario, Canada, assignors to Amphenol Corporation, Broadview, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,804 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-9) This invention relates to knitting machines and more particularly to pile fabric knitting machines having carding heads of the general type disclosed by United States Letters Patent 2,710,525 issued lune 14, 1955 to Robert E. Brandt.

It is the general aim of the present invention to provide knitting machines of the general type indicated in the earlier mentioned patent with improved carding and fiber handling devices for introducing liber into the mesh of the fabric as it is knitted by a relatively simple device which provides for greater safety in machine operation and at the same time results in important cost savings and notable improvements in eiiiciency by minimizing loss of fiber.

A specific object of the invention is the provision of a cover or guard enclosing at least a portion of the carding rolls of the machine, whereby loss of liber from the surfaces of said rolls into the exhaust hood of the machine is minimized.

The present invention is preferably practiced by use of a knitting machine ,and carding heads substantially as disclosed in Brandt Patent 22,710,525 with additions and modifications as will hereinafter appear.

The single ligure is a section View `of a portion of a knitting machine to which the invention has been applied.

This type of knitting machine, shown in the drawing attached hereto, includes a bed plate having a rotatable needle cylinder 11 mounted with a sinker cam ring 12 with a multiplicity of individually controlled sinkers 13 radially shiftable within the ring 12 and a circular row of needles 14 mounted in appropriate slots 15 of the cylinder 11. The needles 14 have butt portions 16 arranged for controlled vertical reciprocation by cam surfaces within the rings 17 in the manner well understood in the knitting machine art.

When knitting machines of this general type are employed for manufacture of deep pile fabric, they are customarily provided with carding heads of the general type shown in the Brandt Patent 2,710,525 with the carding heads mounted in spaced relationship around the bed plate 10. Preferably the carding heads each comprise a unitary frame 18 generally secured in any conventional manner as by bolts 19 and have bearings for rotatably mounting a cluster of coacting carding rolls. As shown, these consist of the main carding roll 21 to which a sliver of liber is applied by a feeding mechanism (not shown). The liber is thence transferred to the intermediate carding roll 22 and to the feeder card roll 23 from whence the fiber is conveyed to the hook portions 24 of the knitting needles as the knitting operation is performed. As mentioned in the Brandt patent, the proper feeding and orientation of the fiber is assisted by a stream of air directed from a blower hose 25 adjacent the point at which the knitting needles penetrate the surface of the feeder card roll 23 to pick up the strands of fiber. For most efcient operation, a knitting machine as contemplated by this invention may be provided with four, five, or six carding heads spaced about the knitting cylinder, and it is customary to provide an exhaust stack 26 centrally disposed above the cylinder and having a large flared inlet hood 27 through which air is drawn to prevent accumulation of lint or loose fiber o-n the machine parts.

According to the present invention, the conventional type of deep pile knitting machine described above is provided with means for restricting the flow of air aro-und the carding rolls so as to minimize loss of fiber from the carding head and increase the efficiency of the transfer of fiber from the carding head to the needles. As shown, this consists of a closely fitted cover or guard partially surrounding the carding rolls 22 and 23 .and positioned between the peripheral surfaces of these rolls and the exhaust hood 27. In its preferred form the carding roll cover, generally designated 30, consists of a thin sheet metal plate having a semicylindrical upper portion 31 closely fitted around and encircling the carding roll 22 but with a sharp reverse bend 32 between rolls 22 and 23 joining the upper portion 31 with a lower portion 33 also arcuately curved around and closely adjacent to the carding roll 23. As shown in the drawing, the sharp reverse bend 32 projects into the space between the rolls 22 and 23 in close proximity to the zone of transfer of fiber from the roll 22 to the roll 23, shielding this zone where the fibers are not firmly held by the card clothing from air currents. Preferably, the lower extremity of the cover is curved outwardly at 34 in the mannerI shown in the drawing. The entire cover 30 is carried by an arm 35 having a lug 36 and slot 37 whereby it maj be adjustably mounted on any suitable support such as the bracket 38. The surface of the cover 30, and particularly the interior surfaces of the portions 31, 32, and 33, are provided with a thin coating 41 of polytetrauoroethylene, commonly sold under the trademark Teflonf This coating facilitates quick and easy cleaning of the machine from time to time as may be required, but has also been found to minimize adherence of loose or free floating fiber to the metal and to thus avoid accumulation or bunching of fiber within the cover.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by United States Letters Patent 1. In a pile fabric knitting machine of the type having a rotatable needle cylinder; a plurality of knitting needles carried by said cylinder; loose fiber exhaust means provided with an inlet above said cylinder; at least one carding head including a main carding roll, an intermediate carding roll above the level of said needle cylinder adjacent the side o-f said main carding roll facing toward said needle cylinder for receiving liber from said main carding roll, and a feeder card roll below said intermediate carding roll and adjacent the needle cylinder for receiving fiber from said intermediate carding roll and delivering it to said needles as said needles move past said carding head during rotation of said cylinder; and -means for directing a jet of air at said needles from the outside of the needle cylinder toward the inside of the needle cylinder at a location just beyond the carding head in the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder; the improvement which comprises cover means partially surrounding said intermediate carding roll and said feeder card roll for resticting fee flow of air adjacent such rolls to control discharge of fiber therefrom; said cover means having an upper curved portion closely spaced with respect to the intermediate carding roll surface extending from the main carding roll to the feeder card roll and being located between the intermediate carding roll and said loose liber exhaust means, and a lower curved portion closely spaced with respect to the feeder card roll surface extending from 3 the zone of cooperation thereof with said needles to the intermediate carding roll and being located between such feeder card roll surface and said loose ber exhaust means, with said upper and lower portions being joined together by a sharp reverse bend projecting into the space between 5 said intermediate carding roll and said feeder roll in close proximity to the zone of ber transfer from said intermediate carding roll to saidfeeder card roll so as to shield the loose bers in such zone from air currents.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein at least portions of the interior of the cover means are provided with a surface coating to control accumulation and bunching of lint or ber.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 wherein the surface coating to control accumulation and bunching of 15 lint or fiber consists of polytetrafluoroethylene.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1935 Moore.

7/1954 Griswold 19--106 X 6/1955 Brandt 66-9 6/1961 Kawashima 19-106 7/1961 Wheelock 66-9 12/1961 Hill 66-9 7/1962 Goldman 19--98 X 3/1964 Brandt 66-9 OTHER REFERENCES The Journal of Teflon, Vol. 1, No. 4, April 1960, DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A PILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINE OF THE TYPE HAVING A ROTATABLE NEEDLE CYLINDER; A PLURALITY OF KNITTING NEEDLES CARRIED BY SAID CYLINDER; LOOSE FIBER EXHAUST MEANS PROVIDED WITH AN INLET ABOVE SAID CYLINDER; AT LEAST ONE CARDING HEAD INCLUDING A MAIN CARDING ROLL, AN INTERMEDIATE CARDING ROLL ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER ADJACENT THE SIDE OF SAID MAIN CARDING ROLL FACING TOWARD SAID NEEDLE CYLINDER FOR RECEIVING FIBER FROM SAID MAIN CARDING ROLL, AND A FEEDER CARD ROLL BELOW SAID INTERMEDIATE CARDING ROLL AND ADJACENT THE NEEDLE CYLINDER FOR RECEIVING FIBER FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE CARDING ROLL AND DELIVERING IT TO SAID NEEDLE AS SAID NEEDLES MOVE PAST SAID CARDING HEAD DURING ROTATION OF SAID CYLINDER; AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING A JET OF AIR AT SAID NEEDLES FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE NEEDLE CYLINDER TOWARD THE INSIDE OF THE NEEDLE CYLINDER AT A LOCATION JUST BEYOND THE CARDING HEAD IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE NEEDLE CYLINDER; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES COVER MEANS PARTIALLY SURROUNDING SAID INTERMEDIATE CARDING ROLL AND SAID FEEDER CARD ROLL FOR RESTICTING FFEE FLOW OF AIR ADJACENT SUCH ROLLS TO CONTROL DISCHARGE OF FIBER THEREFROM; SAID COVER MEANS HAVING AN UPPER CURVED PORTION CLOSELY SPACED WITH RESPECT TO THE INTERMEDIATE CARDING ROLL SURFACE EXTENDING FROM THE MAIN 